Indexing device for type-setting machines



TINTTED STATES PATENT Fries.

EMIL F. LINKE, OF HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR TO THE TIIORNE TYPESETTIN G MACHINE COMPANY, OF NEXV JERSEY.

ENDEXING DEVICE FOR TYPE-SETTING MACHINES.

SPECIFICATION forming part or Letters Patent No. 614,659, dated November 22, 1898.

Application filed September 4, 1897. Serial No. 650,678. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, EMIL F. LINKE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Hartford, in the county of Hartford and State of Connecticut, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Indexing Devices for Type-Distributing Machines, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact specification.

This invention relates generally to improved means for intermittently moving and accurately indexing the parts of machinery of various kinds. It is herein shown and described as applied to the intermittentrotation and indexing of the distributing-cylinder in typesetting machines of the class shown and described in the patent to J. Thorne, No. 372,187, of October 25, 1887. The distributing-cylinder is provided with type-receiving channels, which run longitudinally of the cylinder and are located at equal distances apart around the periphery thereof. This cylinder is placed above a stationary cylinder having similar slots located in a corresponding relation around its periphery, the upper cylinder being adapted to rotate upon an axis concentric with that of the lower cylinder. The upper ends of the type-channels of the latter cylinder are provided with wards set in differing combinations in the different channels, each of which permits only those type which are nicked in coincidence with the wards to enter from the channels of the up per cylinder. The intermissions in the rotation of the upper cylinder occur just when the channels in the two cylinders are coincident, thereby allowing the type which have arrived at their proper channels to drop past the wards into those channels.

The object of this invention is to provide simple and positive means for imparting to the upper cylinder its intermittent rotations, which shall be adapted to also index the two sets of channels accurately 'into coincidence at each intermission, allow them to remain at rest as long as possible, and to move them on to the next position with the least possible amount of jar or shock.

Figure 1 of the drawings is a plan view showing my improved driving devices as applied upon such a distributing-cylinder as that above referred to, a portion of the index plate being broken away to show the typechannels, and a portion of the distributingcylinder being also broken away to show some 5 5 of the warded type-channels of the lower cylinder. Fig. 2 is a front view, and Fig. 3 is a side View, of the driving and indexing por-' tion of the mechanism of Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a fiat development of the periphery of my improved actuator, showing to best advantage the relative periods of movement and rest of the cylinder.

The cylinder 10, provided with the typechannels 11, is fitted to turn freely upon the shaft 12 and are firmly attached to or made integral with the plate 13. In the preferred embodiment of my invention the number of these studs is equal to one-half that of the type-channels, so that the studs are separated by an angular distance twice as great as that which separates the channels. The studs may, if desired, be fixed directly upon the end of the cylinder 10; but I prefer to attach them to a removable index-plate, as

herein shown, utilizing that plate also as a cap or cover for the series of channels in the cylinder.

My improved actuator for the cylinder consists substantially of a cylindrical cam 15,

fixed upon the shaft 16, which is journaled in the bracket 17. That bracket may extend from any fixed portion of the machine, being herein shown to be securely fixed to the shaft 12 by means of the set-screw 18. The shaft 16 derives a regular rotary movement by means of suitable gearing meshing, for example, with the gear 20 from any convenient driving-shaft of the machine. The actuator-cam 15 is provided with a rib 19, preferably integral therewith, which is so disposed continuously around the periphery of the cam as to impart two or more of the desired intermittent movements to the studs 14, as will hereinafter be described. The

studs are preferably made in the form of a truncated cone, as herein shown, the sides of the rib 19 being correspondingly beveled, so

as to insure a suitable driving contact with the studs. The ends of the rib are preferably extended past each other in order that the leading end may safely engage in the space between the studs before the rearward or following end of the rib is withdrawn from the previous space, being thereby constantly in controlling engagement with those studs. The studs 1% may be made integral with the index-plate 13 or with the cylinder 10, or they may consist of rollers fitted to turn upon the studs 143, riveted in the lndex-plate 13, as shown in section in Fig.

The diagram of Fig. 4: represents a lat development of the peripheral cam-rib 19, the ends of the diagram coinciding with the line aof Fig. In connection therewith is shown by means of dotted circles the progressive positions of the studs 14 throughout the rotation of the actuator, those positions being indicated upon the diagranl and upon Fig. 3 by the letters a b c a b c. The leading end 19 of the cam-rib comes in contact with the successive studs preferably while the cylinder is stationary, with its type-channels in dexed in coincidence with those of the lower cylinder, and it remains thus stationary during the time that the cam rib is moving through the position Ct to that of Z), the continuation of the cam-rib being shown in the lower portion of the diagram. Froln the position Z) to that of c the stud is moved aside far enough to rotate the cylinder to the angu lar extent of the separation of two of its channels, thus bringing them again into coincidence, in which position they remain until by the continued rotation of the cam the stud passes through the position ct to that of 7), after which that portion of the cam-rib lying between the positions Z1 and moves the stud aside and thereby again rotates the cylinder sufficiently to bring the type-channels again into coincidence, this intermittent rotation and indexing of the cylinder being continued indefinitely. By this arrangement it will be'seen that the cylinder is enabled to rest with its channels in coincidence during considerably more than one-half of the time. Those portions of the cani-rib immediately following the positions I) and Z) are so shaped as to start the cylinder very gradually from its position of rest, While the portions thereof immediately preceding the positions a and c are so shaped as to bring the cylinder gradu ally again to its position of rest, thereby over-coining the inertia of the cylinder to best advantage and enabling its intermittent rotations to be rapidly repeated.

By the two-step construction of the cam I am enabled to reduce the number of studs employed to onehalf that of the type-channels in the cylinder, thereby gaining an extent of angular separation which enables me to make the studs 1-1: and the actuator-rib 19 of a practical size and of a substantial construction. If it were necessary to provide a stud for each of the typechannels, it will be seen that the size and angular separation of those studs must be reduced to one-half of that shown in the drawings, and inasmuch as it is desirable to locate the type-channels as close together as possible in order to provide for the necessary number of characters 1n a cylinder of moderate size it will be seen that each of a corresponding number of studs would have to be so slight and frail as to be unequal to the severe strain of moving the cylinder in proper time.

If it is desired to still further increase the size of the studs employed for actuating a cylinder having the same number of typechannels, it may be done by making the number of those studs equal to one-third that of the type-channels and providing a three-step actuator or one having the described phases and positions represented by the letters a, b, and c repeated three times around its peripheryinstead of twice, as shown herein. By spacing these repetitions of the movement of the cylinder equally around the periphery of the actuator those movements may be repeated at equal intervals with as great accu racy as though a complete rotation of the actuator were devoted to each movement.

It is not an essential feature of this invention that the studs shall be arranged with their axes parallel with that of the cylinder, inasmuch as they may be arranged in a radial relation thereto upon the outside of the periphery of the cylinder, like the teeth of a spur-gear. In that case, however, it would be necessary to shape the studs in accordance with the principles which govern the construction of teeth of spur-gears, thereby lessening the surface of contact between the studs and the actuator. By arranging the studs in a circle concentric with the axis of the cylinder and in a parallel relation thereto, as herein shown, I provide for more surface of contact between the engaging parts, he sides securing greater simplicity and compactness of construction by keeping the actuator within the circle of the cylinder.

It will be obvious that this device may be adapted to the actuation of slides, linked carrier-chains, &c., having other than a rotary movement, and that in various Ways its application and characteristics may be modified to adapt it to diifering requirements without departing from the intended scope of the invention.

The relative duration of the periods of movement and rest of this device may be greatly varied fron1 the diagram of Fig. 4, which is herein given as an example of my preferred timing, making the periods of rest considerably exceed those of movement. This is a feature of great utility, also enabling the device to be timed to its cooperating devices with ease and certainty as compared with the capabilities of the crank or eccentric lnovements hitherto usually employed for this pur- ICO pose, having fixed and unalterable periods of rest and movement of approximately equal duration.

1' claim as my invention 1. In a type-distributing machine, in combination with the type-cylinder thereof, provided with type-containing channels, and provided with a circle of indexing-studs in number equaling an even arithmetical divisor of the number of channels, an actuator for imparting the desired intermittent rotations to the cylinder, and for indexing the channels at a desired position during the intermissions, consisting of a cam having a peripheral rib for engaging with the indexing-studs, and having a plurality of actuating-inclines, each of a contour and extent suitable for rotating the cylinder to the desired angular extent.

2. In a type-distributing machine, in combination with the type-cylinder thereof, provided with type-containin g channels, and pro* vided with a circle of indexing-studs of a number which may be divided equally into the number of channels, an actuator for imparting intermittent rotation to the cylinder and for indexing the channels at the desired position during those intermissions, consisting of a cam having a peripheral rib for engaging with the indexing-studs, and having a plurality of actuating inclines or steps each. of a form suitable for rotating the cylinder to the desired extent, and of a number equal to the arithmetical quotient obtained by dividing the number of type-channels by the number of indexing-studs, the peripheral intervals between the inclines being so disposed as to index the cylinder-channels in their desired position at each intermission in the rotation.

I EMIL F. LINKE.

Witnesses:

JENNIE NELLIs, W. H. Homss. 

